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FIRST iNSPiuATTONS OF COLUMBUS. — By GiuUo Montcverde. In fhe ^^useum oj Fine Arts, Boston, 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS 



EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY 



FOR CHILDREN 



B"ii 



MRS F A HUMPHREY 




— ,'="=i= »«ti»?ir^. 




BOSTON 
D LOTHROP COMPANY 

FRANKLIN AND HAWLKY STREETS 



\\ 



I <?.1^ 



Copyright, 18S7, 

BY 

D. LoTHKOK Company. 




THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

HOW THE NORTHMEN CAME TO AMERICA. 

In 1002, four liinidred und thirty years before Christopher 
Cohiiubiis was born, Lief, the son of Eric, started on a voyage 
of discovery. He was a hardy Norwegian, who lived in Green- 
land. 

His ship was a queer little vessel, sometimes moved by sails, 
and sometimes by oars. But it was tight and strong. He had 
twenty-five men, and ho sailed away southwesterly. It was early 
summer, but he met many icebergs, just as our vessels now do. 

The first land he came to was flat and stony near the sea. 
Farther inland, were high mountains with snow on their tops. 
This land was what is now called Labrador. Still sailing on to- 
ward-; the south, they by-and-by came to a flat country. Tliis 
flat country had vast forests, and was what is now called New- 
foundland. Here they cast anchor and went on shore, and feasted 
upon the sweet berries they found growing in abundance. 

But they were not content to stop here, and so sailed on still 
farther south and southv/esterly till they came to another and 
far different land. 

This land had pretty green hills covered with trees, wild 
plums and berries grew here. The climate was soft, and there 
were song-birds and plenty of squirrels. They liked the look of 
this land so well, they sought along the shore for a harbor, and 
finally found one at the mouth of a river, where the tide 
swept in. Here were salmon and wild deer. A young German 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



boy of the company wandered aAvay one day and, when found, 
was eating delicious grapes, such as grew in his own German 
fatherland. The grapes were so abundant, Lief named the coun- 
try Vinland. The company built huts and stayed in Vinland 
during that winter. At first the days and nights were about the 
same length. Then the days 
shortened and the sun rose 
at half-past seven, and set 
at half-past four. 

In the spring Lief went 
back to Greenland, and his 
brother Thorwald bought his 
vessel and sailed for A'^in- 
land. Thorwald and his men 
passed the winter in the 
same huts where Lief and 
his men had staid the win- 
ter before. When summer 
came they began to explore, and one day they saw some dusky men, 
the first human beings they had found. These dusky men were 
timid and ran away, but Thorwald's men caught some of them 
and cruelly put them to death. This made these dusky Lidians 
angry, and they made an attack upon the Northmen and Thor- 
wald was killed. Vinland means Wine-land. 

The next summer Thorfin, a young Norwegian nobleman, came 
to Vinland with his beautiful bride. Gudfrida. These came with 
five other women, and a number of men. They lived three years 
in Vinland, and then Thorfin and Gudfrida returned to Norway, 
carrying specimens of the furs and fruits of this new country. 
Some of Thorfin's people staid behind and were joined by about 




THE OLD MILL AT NEWPORT, KHOUK ISLAND. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

thirty .more from Greenland. Among this thirty was Freydisa, 
sister of Lief. She was such a bad-hearted, deceitful woman, her 
family hoped she would always stay in Vinland. and never come 
back to Greenland. But she stirred up such strife, and set the 
colony so by the ears, she had to Hee back to Greenland to 
save her life. And this is about all we know about the colony 
of Vinland. It became extinct, but just how, nobody knows. 
AVhat I have told you, is found in the chronicles of Iceland. 

Historians differ as to how far these Northmen sailed along the 
shores of America. Some think Lief went as far as what is 
now Rhode Island, and that the old stone mill at Newport is 
the remains of a tov/er built by the Northmen. This tower is 
round and rests on seven columns. Its foundation stones are 
wrought spheres. 

Others say that the Northmen did not get any further than 
Labrador, and I suppose we shall never know the exact truth 
about it. 



BIRTH AND BOYHOOD OF COLUMBUS. 

About the year 1435, a little boy was born in the city of 
Genoa, in Italy. Genoa is still a lovely city — a city of palaces. 
Back of it are high rugged mountains, and in front of it, lying 
at its feet, is the blue, tideless Mediterranean Sea. Its streets 
are narrow and steep. 

But in 1435, when this little boy was born, Genoa was not 
only a lovely city, but a very rich one. It had a great many 
ships, which sailed to all parts of the world ; that is, to all 
parts of the world that the Genoese knew anything about. For 
America was then unknown to the people of Europe. They did 
not know tliat at^ross the Atlantic Ocean lay this big continent 
of ours. They knew something about Asia, and the East Indies. 
They traded with the East Indies. But they brought all their 
silks, and their spices, and other precious things by way of the 
Gulf of Persia, and various rivers, to the Mediterranean Sea. 
They did not know 'there was an easier way to get there, by 
sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern point of 
Africa. 

They did not dare to sail very far south. They noticed that 
it grew warmer as they sailed south, and they thought if they 
kept on, by and by they would come to where the water of 
the ocean would boil ! 

But, as I said, Genoa was then a very rich and lovely city 
and there this little boy was born. His name was Christofo 
Colombo. That is his Italian name. In Spanish history he is 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLVZIBUS. 



called Cristoval Colon, and we know him as Christopher Columbus, 
the great discoverer of America. 

Yes, the great Columbus was once a wee baby just as we 
all have been, and, I have no doubt, cried just as all babies do, 
and ate and slept, and cooed, and kicked, till, by and by, he 
grew into a big boy of 
six. 

His parents were poor. 
His father was a wool- 
comber. For a little time 
Colombo was the only child, 
but after awhile, two little 
brothers and a sister came 
into the home-nest, which 
was then pretty well crowded. 

But though the parents 
of Colombo were poor, they 
manaured to o;ive him a g-ood 
education. He was taught 
to read and to write, and 
he wrote so good a hand. 
Las Casas tells us, that he 
mitrlit have earned his bread 
bv writino;. Las Casas was a historian who knew all about that, 
for he owned some of Columbus' manuscripts. 

He was also taught arithmetic, drawing and designing, and in 
course of time, grammar and Latin. But the study he seemed 
to enjoy most was geography, and he had a great desire to go 
to sea. So his wise father concluded that if his little son wished 
to follow a maritime life, that is, to go to sea, for the purpose 




CHRISTOPHER coLiTMP.us. {Froiii ail oUI print .) 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

of trade or of discovery, he must be properly fitted for it, and he 
sent him to the famous University of Pavia, in Lombardy. There 
he was taught not only geography, but geometry, astronomy, and 
navigation. And he studied hard, just as boys are apt to study 
the things they like. 

He was at Pavia only a short time, but he made good use of 
that time, and, afterwards, as he grew up to big boyhood and 
to manhood, he kept right on studying ; in fact, I suppose he 
never stopped studying so long as he lived, which is the right 
way to do if a boy or girl wishes to be really successful in 
life. 

We do not know exactly how old Colombo was when he came 
back from Pavia to his father's house in Genoa. But he nuist 
have been still very young, as, according to his own account, 
he was only fourteen when he entered upon his maritime 
life. 

Between the time that he left Pavia until he began to go to 
sea, he helped his father at wool-combing. But we can easily 
imagine that this wide-awake, earnest boy, spent a good deal of 
time at the busy wharves of Genoa, watching the coming and 
going of the richly-ladened, queer vessels of those days, and talk- 
ing with the sailors about the unknown and distant countries 
he so much w^ished to see. For wharves are very fascinating 
places to most boys, and certainly must have been to one so 
fond of geography as was Colombo. 

Very early he must have begun to wonder about this big 
world of ours. Giulio Montevede, in his statue, -'The First In- 
spirations of Columbus," represents him as a mere lad, busy with 
thoughts concerning that unknown land which he thinks must lie 
beyond the wide Atlantic Ocean. 





'yh/j<;t /-.c//,.' 



.y.„. 



COLUMBUS AND HIS SOKS DIKGU AJ<D FJiKUlNANU. 

Fi-om an old in-int. 



COLUMBUS IN LISBON^. 

In 1470 Columbus went to Lisbon, the capitcal of Portugal. 

He was then thirty-five, but his hair was already white with 
care and trouble. He was a tall and dignified man, courteous 
to every one, and especipJly gentle and kindly in his own house- 
hold. He is said to have had a quick temper, but he early 
learned to control that quick temper. 

He married and settled in Lisbon, The father of his wife had 
been a distinguished navigator, and all his papers — his charts 
and the journals of his voyages — were given to Columbus. He 
studied these carefully. At the same time he made maps and 
charts to support his family, for he was poor. Notwithstanding 
his own poverty, he helped his aged father who continued to 
live in Genoa, and gave money for the education of his younger 
brothers. 

From time to time he voyaged down the coast of Guinea and 
made a trip in l-tTT to Iceland. 

He read the works of Marco Polo. Marco Polo was a Vene- 
tian traveller who had visited Cathay (China) and Cipango (Japan). 
He told marvellous stories about the riches of these countries. 
They abounded, he said, in gold and precious stones, and the 
palac(3 of the King of Japan was covered with plates of gold, 
instead of lead, as in other lands. 

The works of Marco Polo had been translated into many lan- 
guages, and were in manuscript, because the art of printing was 



THE ADVENTURES OF C0LV3IBUS. 

not then in general use. It was not an easy matter to get 
these works, but Columbus got them, and read them eagerly, 
and he longed to see these wonderful lands. As he read and 
studied, and thought, he became sure that, by sailing directly 
west, he should reach first the island of Cipango (Japan) and 
then Cathay (China). 

And this was what all the wise men of that day thought, 
that the world was much smaller than it really is, and that the 
Atlantic Ocean, only, lay between the western coast of Europe 
and the eastern coast of Asia. 

Prince Henry of Portugal had thought to reach India by sail- 
ingr round Africa, but he died in 1473, before this was accom- 
plished. Columbus thought that a shorter way than this would be 
directly west. 

This Prince Henry was a great and good man, and as eager 
for discovery as was Columbus His nephew John II. was king 
of Portugal, when Columbus finall}' made up his mind to ask 
the Crown of Portugal to fit out a fleet of vessels to make a 
voyage of discovery across the Atlantic. 

King John was eager to find a passage by sea to India, but 
he was not so ready to listen to Columbus as the latter had hoped. 

He gave Columbus audience and listened attentively to what 
he had to say, but referred the matter to a "junto," or com- 
pany of learned men. These learned men discouraged the king 
from attempting the voyage. They thought the idea of reaching 
India by sailing west was nonsense. But the king, still doubt- 
ing, called together his council and laid Columbus' proposal 
before them. They too advised the king not to enter upon the 
undertaking. But seeing him still dissatisfied they proposed to 
him to do a truly mean thing. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

It was to fit out a vessel secretly in the direction pointed out 
by Columbus, and see if anything came of it. Tlie king listened 
to this mean counsel, and the vessel was fitted out. They asked 
Columbus to give them a plan of his proposed route, and to 
bring to them his charts, pretending they only wanted to exam- 
ine them. But they gave them into the hands of the captain 
of the vessel, with orders to follow the course marked out on 
Columbus' chart. 

The vessel sailed. But storms arose, and the crew were afraid 
when they saw the great tumbling waves of the wide Atlantic 
before them, and not a bit of land, and quickly pat back to 
Lisbon. 

When Columbus heard of this mean trick of King John, he 
was very angry and would have nothing more to say to him, 
although the kino; would like to have talked the matter over 
with him again. His wife had died and he left Lisbon near the 
end of 1484, talking his son Diego witli liim. 



ARRIVAL OF COLUMBUS IN SPAIN. 

Said Columbus to his son Diego, when writing to him about 
his brother Ferdinand, and telling him always to love and cling 
to him, '' for ten brothers would not be too many for you ; I 
have never found better friends on my right hand and on my 
left, than my brothers." 

So we often find, in the life of Columbus, mention made of 
his brothers, especially of his brother Bartholomew. 

When Columbus left Lisbon, he sent his brother Bartholomew 
to Henry VII. of England, to propose that he should furnish 
vessels for the discovery of the Indies at the West. At the same 
time Columbus himself made a similar proposal to the Republic 
of Genoa. But neither proposal was accepted. 

The next we hear from Columbus he was in Spain, One day, 
a stranger on foot stopped at the gate of the convent, La 
Rabida, in the province of Andalusia, and asked for food for 
his little boy. The two were dusty and weary with travel. 
They Avere poor, or they would not have been asking for food 
and shelter in this way. They asked only for bread and water. 

While the porter was giving them the bread, the prior or 
head of the convent chanced to go by. You have read that 
Columbus was a tall and dignified man, of courteous manners, 
and you will not be surprised to learn that this prior was 
pleased with his appearance, and stopped to speak with him. 
Doubtless he was surprised, too, to see such a man so destitute. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

This prior was a man of much learning. He lived not far 
from the port of Palos and knew all about the various voyao-es 
of discovery that had been made. So he was greatly interested 
when he learned Columbus' errand, for Columbus had come to 

apply to the court of Spain 
for help to carry out his 
plans. 

This prior's name was Juan 
Perez de la Marchena, and 
from that time to the end 
of his life he was a firm 
friend to Columbus. 

At this time, 1486, Fer- 
dinand and Isabella were 
king and queen of Spain. 
Ferdinand was king of Arra- 
gon, and Isabella was queen 
of Castile, and by their 
marriage these two kingdoms 
had become one. But they 
QUEEx ISABELLA OF SPAIN. had scparate councils, and 

each conducted the affairs of his or her kingdom. 

Writers who lived at that time, have told us many charming 
things about Queen Isabella. "She was the noblest creature that 
ever reigned over men," says one. She was fair, and her hair 
was auburn. Her clear blue eyes Avere honest and loving, and 
she was a " model of modesty and integrity." Our own Wash- 
ington Irving, who wrote a life of Columbus, says she is one of 
the " purest and most beautiful characters in history." 

And it was to this beautiful and gracious queen that Colum- 




THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

bus was now to make his proposals for a voyage of discovery. 
Juan Perez gave liim a letter of introduction to one of the 
chief men of her court, and Columbus, leaving his son Diego 
with the good prior, went to Cordova where the king and queen 
were. 

They were engaged, at that time, in a war with the Moors. 
The Moors had held possession of the southern part of Spain for 
eight hundred years, and the Spaniards wished to drive them back 
into Africa. So when Columbus reached Cordova, he found the 
city full of soldiers, and the court was like a military camp. 

Queen Isabella often went with her army, and, like her sol- 
diers, wore armor at such times. 

(Several suits of armor worn by Isabella, can be seen to-day, 
together with her sword, in the royal arsenal at Madrid.) 

It was a bad time for Columbus to make his proposals, for 
everybody, including the king and queen, was thinking only of 
war. When the king was away with the army, Isabella was 
busy sending him troops and supplies. They were continually mov- 
ing from place to place, and as Columbus was poor, he could not 
follow them. He supported himself, as he had done before, in 
making maps and charts, while the good Juan Perez took care 
of and educated his son Diego. 

At last he was summoned before the king. Ferdinand listened 
to what he had to say, and then turned the matter over, as 
King John did, to a conference of wise men. This conference 
was held at Salamanca, the great seat of learning, then, in Spain. 
These learned men were some of them professors of astronomy, 
geography, and other sciences. They were learned priests and 
friars. And before them Columbus stood up in his poor, plain dress, 
and told his story. 



THE VESSELS ARE FITTED OUT FOR THE GREAT DISCOVERY. 

The wise men of Salamanca listened to what Columbus had 
to say. A few believed as he did. But others laughed. 

"The world round!" some of them said, "we don't believe it 
is, and even if it were, how, if you sailed down under it, 
could you ever get back again up hill ? " 

They were wise in many things, but, as ^''ou see, they knew 
but little about our world. 

And so the conference came to nothing, and Cohunbus waited 
and w^aited, for seven long years. At last he said he would 
wait no longer. Nobody would listen to him. The king and 
queen were thinking only of war. " When the war is over," 
they said, " we will see what we can do for you." The follow- 
ers of the court lau^-hed at him. Even the little children 
pointed at him, as he passed, and called him a " madman." 
Yes, he would go away from Spain to France whose king had 
written to him that he would help him. 

So he went down to the convent of La Rabida to tell his 
good friend, Juan Perez, what he was going to do. He came to 
the convent gate, weary, hungry and poor, as he did at first. 
And the good Juan Perez's heart ached when he saw him. 

But when he heard what Columbus wa,s going to do, he 
said, " That must not be. Spain must not lose the glory of the 
great discovery. We must try once more what we can do." 
And he wrote to Queen Isabella himself such a letter, that she 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



replied at once, asking Don Perez to come to her, and tell her 
once more what it was Colnmbus wished to do. 

Don Perez was so glad when he got this letter that he lost 

not a moment, but mounted his mule, and started at midnight 

____„. ___,^„ ________ for Santa Fe, where the 

j^ ^^ queen and court were. He 

succeeded ; and Queen Isa- 
bella sent again for Colum- 
bus. 
I But at the very last, once 
■ more she hesitated. It was 
not stranu'e that she did so. 
Kingi: Ferdinand did not look 
favorably on Columbus. Had 
he had his way, Columljus 
H would have been sent away 
for o[:oo(l. Besides there was 
no money. The war had 
used up the money of both 
Castile and Arragon. But 
it was only for a brief time 
that Queen Isabella liesi- 

JITAN PEREZ, AT MIDNIGHT, ON HI.S WAY TO SANTA FE. , . , 

tated, and then she said, as 
such a generous, noble queen would sa}', " I undertake the enter- 
prise for my own kingdom of Castile, and I will pledge my 
private jewels to raise the necessary funds." 

The port of Palos in Andalusia was the place fixed upon from 
which to fit out the vessels. There were three : the JVlTia, the 
Pinta and the Santa Maria. Two of these were small, of a 
kind called caravels. ■ They were not decked over, but were built 





yUIiKN ISAUELLA OF fei'Al^N l^• iliiK AliiMlll;. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

high at either end with cabins which looked hke houses, or castles. 

At first Columbus could not get even these three small ves- 
sels. The king and queen had ordered the town of Palos to fur- 
nish two of these vessels. But it refused. Nobody was willing 
to risk a vessel, and nobody was willing to go on such a voy- 
age. But the sovereigns issued a second order to have ships 
seized, and masters and crews forced to serve. 

Then arose a great hue and cry in Palos. The most dreadful 
stories were told about those unknown seas and lands whither 
they were to sail. The people of Palos went from house to 
house and talked about it just as people now talk about things. 

'' 0," said the women, " if our husbands and sons go they 
will never come back. They will be swallowed up by the fear- 
ful waves, or by creatures more cruel than the waves." So, you 
may see, there was a great outcry about the voyage in Palos. 

One navigator, however, who lived in Palos, Alonzo Pinzon, a 
man of courage, said he was ready to go, and to risk both 
himself and his money. He thought Columbus would come out 
all right, and would find the country he was going to seek. 
So he and his brother furnished one vessel and part of the 
rest. Alonzo Pinzon was made captain of the Plnta and his 
brother Vicente Yanez Pinzon captain of the Num. The Santa 
Maria, the largest vessel, and the only one decked, was the 
flag ship, and Columbus himself was its captain. 



THE VOYAGE AND THE DISCOVERY. 

Columbus was fifty-six years of age when he set sail from 
Palos with the Pinfa, the JVifia and the Santa Maria. They 
sailed August, 1492, and the mothers, wives and children of the 
men went down to the wharves to bid them "• good-by " with 
many tears, for they never expected to see them return. 

On the third day out, the rudder of the Pinta was found to 
be broken, and they put in to the Canarj' Islands. There they 
staid three weeks till a new one could be made. As they sailed 
past the island of Teneriffe the sailors were terrified at sight of 
its volcanoes sendino; forth fire and smoke. But Columbus told 
them all about volcanoes, and calmed their fears. And so he had 
to keep explaining things to them, for as soon as they lost sight 
of the Canary Islands they were full of fears at every new thing. 

They had heard of the Canary Islands. European vessels often 
visited these islands. But of the ocean beyond they knew noth- 
ing. To them it was a wide waste of unknown waters. They 
feared its storms, its rocks, its shoals, and the dreadful creatures 
which they thought lived in it. Many of these truly brave men 
cried aloud when the last bit of land disappeared in the east, 
and they thought of the dear friends they had left. Brave as 
they were, they had not the courage and faith of Columbus. He 
was a happy man when he saw the last faint land-line dis- 
appear; for he had now entered upon that voyage for which he 
had worked and waited for eighteen years. 



THE ADVENTURED OF COLVMBUS. 



September 6 they set sail from the Canaries, and on Septem- 
ber 11, they fell in with part of a wreck. The sight of this 
wreck filled the crew with fear. September 14, however, they 
thought there were signs of land. A heron hovered about the 
ships, a bird which they supposed never liew far from land. 

_ On and on the three ships 

sailed, until they came within 
the intluence of what are 
called the "' Trade Winds." 
The soft air and the beauti- 
ful skies made them think 
of their beloved Andalusia. 
They began to see patches 
of weeds, such as grovf in 
rivers, green, too, as if it 
had not been long since they 
were washed down into the 
ocean. A pretty white tropi- 
cal bird came to greet them. 
The crew watched eagerly 
for land. Ferdinand and Isabella had promised to the man who 
should first discover it a pension of thirty crowns. On the 18th 
Alonzo Pinzon thought he saw land at the north, but it proved 
to be foti: on "the horizon. 

The , sailors bcQ-an to o-row uneasv. The favorable wind, that 
had borne them so far towards the west, thev began to fear 
would not allow them to return again. On the 20th, however, 
a contrary breeze sprung up, and they felt better. That day birds 
flew about the vessel, such as live only in groves and orchards. 
They came singing in the morning, and went away at night. 




THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

Next there came a calm, and the ocean was covered with weeds 
as far as the eye could reach. The men were frightened again. 
They thought they were coming upon sunken land, where the 
vessels would get aground, and could never be got off again, and 
they would have to stay there and die. 

The calm was broken by a great swell of the ocean, and then 
they felt better again. At last, however, they began to talk 
seriously of a mutiny against Columbus. He was a madman, 
they said. Some of them even proposed to throw him into 
the sea and then return to Spain, and tell the king and queen 
that he had tumbled overboard while gazing at the stars ! 

Columbus knew what was going on, but he spoke soothingly 
to the men, and promised a doublet of velvet in addition to the 
thirty crowns to whoever should first see land. September 25 
Alonzo Pinzon shouted from his vessel, " Land ! land ! Senor, I 
claim my reward." But Alonzo Pinzon was again mistaken. 

October 7 Columbus changed his course. Up to that time he 
had sailed directly west. But he had noticed flocks of birds 
coming* from and g:oino: back to the southwest. He determined 
to follow in the track of those birds. On the evening of October 
11 he went up on top of the castle to watch for land. There 
had been many signs of land that day — a branch of thorn with 
berries on it, a piece of a tree, a carved staff. How eager, 
how anxious, how full of hope was Columbus ! At ten o'clock 
he saw Ji light. It moved from side to side, and up and down. 
He called to two of his gentlemen to come and look. They, 
too, saw the light. At two o'clock in the morning, a gun from 
the Pinta gave the welcome signal of land, and the}^ took 
in sail and lay to, waiting for daylight. 



COLUMBUS MAKES HIS FIRST LANDING IN THE NEW WOELD. 



You may be sure that, at the first dawn of day, Columbus, 
his officers and his crew were on deck for a look at the new- 
found land. And a beautiful land it was, a green and level 
island, covered with trees like an orchard or park. The date of 
its discovery was October 12, 1492. 

There were people on the island, a dusky people unlike any 
the Spaniards had ever seen. 

Columbus at once ordered the boats to be manned. He put 
on his finest dress of scarlet, took the flag of Castile and Arragon 
in his hand and stepped on board his boat. Alonzo Pinzon and 
his brother followed in their boats. Each carried the flas; of the 
Expedition. On this flag was a green cross having on each side 
the letters F and Y the initials of Ferdinand and Ysabel. 

As soon as Columbus 
landed he knelt, kissed the 
ground, and gave thanks to 
God for his success. The 
rest knelt around him. 

Then he arose to his feet, 
drew his sword, and took 
possession of the island in 
the name of the Spanish 



COtUMBUS K^EL1 ANL> GAVE THANKS TO COD. 

Sovereigns. He named this island San Salvador. 

The king and queen had promised Columbus that he should he 





TAKING POSSESSION OF TIIK ISLAND IN THK NAME OF THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



viceroy and admiral over all lands he sJiould discover. So he 
next called around him his officers and crew to take the oath 
of obedience to him as Admiral. 

The natives watclied these proceedings with curiosity. Early in 
the morning they had seen 
with fear these monsters 
— for such they called the 
vessels — hovering on their 
huge white wings about 
their island. They crowded 
down to the shore to g-et 
a nearer view. But, when 
they saw the boats filled 
with strange beings draw- 
ing near, they had fled in 
terror to the woods. 

When they found, how- 
ever, that these strange 
beings did not follow them, 
but w^ent quietly about their 
o^vn business, they took courage, and came out from their hiding 
places. They saw with wonder the white skins of the Spaniards, 
their beards, their gay clothes, and their shining armor. Growing 
still bolder, they went up to these strange beings, touched their 
wonderful clothes and faces, and took their white hands in theirs. 

Columbus was pleased with their gentleness, and told his men 
to let them gratify their curiosity. He treated them with such 
kindness tliej^ began to think these vessels had come straight from 
the skies, on their white Avings, and that these strange and 
terrible, but beautiful beings, were the inhabitants of the skies ! 




TIIK NA1I\I..> ^WIM OUT AND lilUJSG GIFTS. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

You may remember, that Columbus thought when he sailed 
west that he should reach some part of the East Indies. So he 
named these people Indians. 

He gave them colored caps, glass beads, and hawks' bells. 
They hung the strings of beads about their necks, and jingled 
the bells. The Spaniards staid all that day on this green island, 
refreshing themselves after their long voyage. 

The next mornino; the shore was throno;ed with the natives. 
When the boats again put off many came out to meet them in 
their light canoes hollowed from trees. Some swam out, bringing 
gifts of parrots, balls of cotton, and cakes of bread called cassava. 
Some of them wore ornaments of gold in their noses. 

Columbus staid a few days at this island, which is one of the 
Bahamas, and then began a cruise among the other islands of 
this group. Everywhere the natives received them with kindness, 
bringing them cotton, and exchanging their few ornaments of gold 
for beads and hawks' bells. For the Spaniards were greedy for gold. 

These people lived in tents made of branches of trees and 
covered with palm leaves. These tents were built under the 
shelter of the beautiful trees, and were neatly kept by the women. 
They slept in a kind of cotton net, slung between two posts, 
which nets they called hamacs. Did you ever see a Jiamac ? 

Among these islands was one, most beautiful of all, to which 
Columbus gave the name of " Isabella." " I know not," he says 
" where first to go, nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing on 
this beautiful verdure. Here are large lakes, and the groves about 
them are marvellous, and here and in all the islands everything 
is green, and the herbage as in April in Andalusia. The singing 
of the birds is such, that it seems as if one would never desire 
to depart thence." 



CRUISING. 

The next island Columbus found was Cuba. When he saw this 
great island he was sure he had found Japan (Cipango). As he 
sailed along its shores he sent a boat on shore, now and then, 
to ask the natives about that splendid city wherein dwelt the 
king in his palace covered with gold. Afterwards he thought that 
this island was not an island at all, but a continent — the Conti- 
nent of Asia. And to the day of his death he always thought so. 
The air was so spicy he was sure the Spice Islands lay some- 
where near. He saw on this island of Cuba a canoe hollowed 
from a tree, so big that it would hold one hundred and fifty per- 
sons. He found in an empty house — for the people fled when 
they saw the Spaniards coming — a cake of wax. This he took 
to send to the Spanish sovereigns, " for where there is wax," said 
he, " there must be a thousand other good things." 

After Cuba, he next found Hayti ; and what a lovely time he 
must have had sailing over those summer seas and finding green 
and flowery islands, peopled with a gentle, friendly race. Hurri- 
canes often blow in the West Indies, but Columbus does not seem 
to have met with any. In the rivers of Hayti they found fish 
like those of Spain. They heard birds which they thought were 
nightingales — birds which live in Spain. The country they thought 
looked like the more beautiful parts of Spain, and so they named 
the island Hispaniola, which means Little Spain. 

Here, as elsewhere, the people fled in terror when they saw the 
Spaniards. But the Indians whom Columbus had with him followed 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



them and quieted their fears. They told them that these people 
had come down from the skies to bring beautiful gifts. 



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THE DREADFUL LIZARD. 



On this island the ^anta Maria was wrecked on the morning of 
Christmas day, 1492. Columbus usually stayed on deck at night 
because there was great danger in coasting along these unknown 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

shores. But that night he was so tired, and the sea was so calm, 
he thought he might safely rest a while. He gave orders to the 
steersman not to give the helm in charge to a ship boy. But no 
sooner had the admiral gone than the steersman did that very 
thing, and the vessel was carried b}^ the currents on to a sand bar. 

This wreck took place not far from the home of the chief 
Guacanngnri, who proved to be a good friend. He sent his canoes 
and men to lielp the Spaniards to unload the vessel. He ordered 
a guard to be kept over their goods after they were brought on 
shore, and nothing was stolen. The chief invited Columbus 
to visit him and gave him a feast of fruits and fish. He ordered 
his people to dance before him to cheer him. He tried to cheer 
him all he could for the loss of the Santa Maria. 

Columbus told Guacanagari he would protect him from his 
enemies, the Caribs. He ordered a cannon on board the Nina 
to be fired off. When the natives saw the flash and heard the 
roar they were frightened. They saw how the big ball tore the 
trees. But they were glad too. They said, " These wonderful 
beings have brought their thunder and lightning from the skies 
and will protect us from the Caribs." ^ 

During all these cruisings from island to island, the Spaniards 
had seen no wild beasts. But they had seen a fearful creature 
with spines on its back, a pouch under its throat and a wide 
mouth. They soon found that this creature was a kind of lizard 
and harniless. Its flesh is good for food. 

They found also a root new to them which the Indians ate ; 
it was the potato. In Cuba they saw the natives going about 
"with certain dried herbs which they rolled up in a leaf and 
lighting one end, put the other end in their mouths," and smoked. 
They called this roll " a tobacco." 



HIS RETUR]S" TO SPAIN. 

January 4, 1493, Columbus set out on his return to Spain. He 
took with him nine Indians. He was two montlis crossinsi: the At- 
lantic, and met with a fearful storm which lasted fourteen days. 
He feared the vessel might sink, and the king and queen of Spain 
might never hear of his great discovery. So he wrote an account 
of it on a strip of parchment, wrapped it in a waxed cloth, placed 
it in the centre of a cake of wax, put the whole into a barrel and 
threw it into the sea. He thought perhaps somebody might find it. 

He put into the river Tagus in Portugal to wait for fair weather, 
and visited the queen of Portugal. 

March 13, he sailed into the harbor of Palos. You remember 
that the Santa Maria was wrecked off the coast of Cuba. The 
Pinta had become separated from the Nina while crossing the At- 
lantic. So it was only the Nina that sailed into Palos on that 
joyful day almost four hundred years ago. The news of her ar- 
rival quickly flew over the town. The bells were rung, the shops 
were closed, and everybody left their business and their work, even 
the children left their play, to hasten to the wharves. 

Columbus was at once ordered to cro to the court at Bar- 
celona. As he drew near that city, a great company on horse- 
back came out to meet him. His entrance was a triumph. Such 
a brilliant and strange procession had never before been seen in 
Spain. For first of all came the dusky Indians (six of them) wear- 
ing feathers of gay tropical birds and ornaments of gold. The 




LULL.Ml^Lb t^^iElIb 1> TKIUJU'U IllH tlXY Oi' UAKCELUNA. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

sailors and ship-boys of the Nina carried poles and pike staffs^ 
on the top of which were stuffed parrots, cocoanuts, Vjananas, huge 







COLUMBUS TELLING THE STORY OV HIS VOYAGE TO THE QUEEN OF POKTUGAL. 

calabashes or gourds, rare plants and the stuffed body of an iguana 
or big lizard. One of the prettiest things was the yellow cars of 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

the Indian corn. Coronets and bracelets of gold, baskets finely- 
woven of grass, and banners were in the procession. Then came 
-Columbus himself, on horseback, and around him were the proud 



COLUJIliUS TELLING DON PEREZ WHAT HE HAD SEEN AND DONE. 

nobles of Spain. I wonder if he remembered then the time when 
he came to the door of the convent of La Rabida asking for bread 
and water. 

The king and queen rose to receive him, which was a great 
honor. They listened to his story, and when he had finished they 
fell on their knees, all who were present did the same, and the 
royal choir chanted the Te Deiim Laudaifnus (We praise thee, 
God). Thus they gave to God the glory of the great discovery. 

But I doubt if Columbus enjoyed anything more than he did 
the telling of all he had seen and done to his good and faithful 
friend Don Perez. 



HIS SECOND VOYAGE TO THE NEW WOKLD. 

September 25, 1493, Columbus set sail on his second voyage. 
This tim.e he had three large ships and fourteen small ones. On 
his first voyage, you remember, nobody was willing to go. But 
now so many were eager to go that he had in all fifteen hun- 
dred. 

His two boys, Diego and Ferdinand, came to see Columbus off, 
'' proud of the glory of their father." 

The vessels stopped at the Canary Islands, where calves, goats, 
sheep and pigs were bought to stock the island of Hispaniola. 

November 2, the fleet arrived at the Antilles. On the 4th they 
landed on Gaudaloupe, and here the Spaniards first tasted the 
delicious pine-apple. The houses on this island were square. 
They were woven of reeds and • thatched with palm leaves, and 
each had a little portico. The people on this island were the 
warlike Caribs. Their arrows were pointed with the bones of 
fishes, and were poisoned. The women fought as well as the 
men. The children learned to use the bow ;^:id arrow very early. 

November 22, the fleet arrived off Hispaniola (Hayti). Before 
Columbus went back to Spain from his first voyage, he had had 
a fort built from the wreck of the Santa Maria. He had called 
that fort La Navidad, and had left a number of Spaniards in it. 
November 27, he arrived opposite the harbor of La Navidad, but 
there was no sign of life. Not a Spaniard was to be seen. The 
next day he landed and found the fort burned. All around lay 




BARTHOLOMEW COLOMBUS. 



Tim ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



broken chests, torn clothes, and household things. He soon learned 
the truth. 

In the interior of the island lived a warlike Carib chief named 
Caonabo — Caonabo means " The Lord of the Golden House." 
He was so called because he lived in the golden mountain of 
€ibao. After Columbus went ■ away the Spaniards that he had 
left in the fort treated the natives badly. They lived wicked 
lives ; they grew careless and would not obey their commander. 
They often left the fort un- 
guarded. Oue night all but 
ten were away. Caonabo came 
with his warriors, killed the 
ten, destroyed the fort, and 
set fire to the houses where 




A CAKIB HOUSE. 



the other white men were 
sleeping. Afterwards Caonabo 
was taken prisoner ; and tlii ■ 
is how it was done. 

Columbus had tried in vain to 
take him in battle, and at last 
Alonzo de Ojeda said he would take him alive by a trick. He 
invited Caonabo to visit Isabella, the town Columbus had founded. 
He told Caonabo he would give him the bell on the chapel of 
Isabella. This bell was a o:reat wonder to the Indians. When 
they heard it ring and saw the Spaniards hurrying to the 
service, they thought the bell " talked " and called them. 

So Caonabo called his warriors together and started for Isa- 
bella. They halted one day near the river Yagui, and Ojeda 
showed to Caonabo a set of manacles — irons to hold the hands 
together — such as are put upon prisoners. They were of steel, 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

and polished till tney shone like silver. Ojeda told Caonabo that 
these were worn by the king- and queen of Spain at festivals — 
that they came from the skies. 

" Go, Caonabo," he said, " and bathe in the river, then I will 
put these on your wrists, and you shall mount my horse and 
ride like a king before your people." For these Indians thought 
the horses of the Spaniards were wonderful creatures. They at first 
thought the man and the horse made one animal. 

So Caonabo was greatly pleased at Ojeda's offer. He bathed, 
and then Ojeda helped him to get upon his horse, and then put 
on the manacles. And there was Caonabo a prisoner I For he could 
not help himself; and Ojeda took the bridle of his horse, and 
he and his men dashed away upon their horses, and carried 
Caonabo with them. Columbus afterwards took him to Spain, but 
he died on the voyage. And that was the end of the brave, 
proud Caonabo, who died as many a white man has done, for 
his people and his country. 

In October, Bartholomew Colombus arrived at Isabella, and glad 
enough was Columbus to see him. For Columbus was not havimi; 
an easy time. The Spaniards had hoped and expected to find 
gold so plenty that they could pick it up like stones. And 
when they did not they were bitterly disappointed. They said 
Columbus was to blame. (We always have to find fault with some- 
body, you know, when things don't turn out to suit us.) They sent 
lying reports home about him. They did everything they could to 
harm him. Many of them were bad men and lived bad lives. So 
he was glad to have near him so good, so brave, so loving, so 
active, so generous a man as was this brother ; and when he went 
back a second, time to Spain he left Bartholomew in command of 
the island of Hispaniola. 



STORY OF THE EGG. THE THIRD VOYAGE. 

I must go back a little in this chapter to tell you a pretty 
story about Columbus, a story that everybody likes, and likes to tell. 

When Columbus returned from his first voyage, you remember, 
he was feasted and made much of. And, among others, Gonzalvez 
de Mendoza, the grand Cardinal of Spain, gave him a splendid 
banquet. Mendoza was the first subject in the Spanish kingdom, 
and was a noble and princely man. He gave to Columbus the 
most honorable place at his table, and served him as he would 
have served the kiny; himself. 

He did not. envy Columbus his good fortune in discovering the 
New World. Not a bit. He was glad to do him honor. 

But there were men who did envy Columbus. And because 
they envied him they would like to have injured him. Some of 
these men were at the banquet that day. And one of them it 
was who said to Columbus : 

''If you Imd not discovered the New World, do you not think 
there are plenty of men in Spain who could have done it ? " 
It was the same as if he had said, '' It was nothing to discover 
the New World. It was easy enough just to sail West till you 
came to it. You are making a great fuss about notliiim-." 

Columlms did not reply to this in words. But he took an Qgg 
and asked this man to make it stand up on one end. The man 
tried, but could not make it stand up. Then another tried, and 
another, and another, till all had tried, and none could do it. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



Then Columbus took the o.^^^ and struck one end lightly upon 
the table, so as to break it a little, and left it standing. 

I do not suppose he said anything. But they all knew what 
he meant — that it is easy to do a thing after you know how 
it is done. And now that he had shown the way to the New 
World, it was easy enough for other men to follow. 

This story is told by an Italian, Benzoni, in his history 
printed in 1572. 

You have read that the proud Caonabo died while on the pas- 
sage to Spain. But Colum- 
bus had also taken with 
him Caonabo's brother aiid 
his nephew, the latter a boy 
of ten. These two he car- 
ried about with him in Spain 
wdierever he went. He pres- 
ented them to Ferdinard and 
Isabella. Whenever they 
passed through a great city, 
he put a lieavy gold col- 
lar and chain round the 
neck of Caonabo's brother, 
because he came fi-om tlie 
" Golden House " of Cibao. 

May 30, 1498, Columbus set 
sail on his third voyage to the 
New World. This time he sailed a little south of West and came 
into what are called the '" calm latitudes." These lie on the 
equator. And here the wind fell, and they had a calm which 
lasted eight days. The air was hot " like a furnace," the •' tar 




COLUMBUS PKESENTING THE BROTHER OF CAONABO TO 
FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. 



THE ADVENTURES OF (JOLUMBUIS. 



about the ships melted ; the seams of the ships opened ; the salt 
meat was spoiled ; tlie wheat was parched as if with fire " ; the 
hoops shrunk from the water casks, and some of them burst. In 
this way they lost much of their water, and on July 31 there 
was but one cask of water on each ship. Columbus began to 

feel anxious ; he feared they 
might get out of water be- 
fore they reached land. But 
that very day at noon, a 
sailor saw three mountain 
tops rising above the hori- 
zon. These proved to be 
an island v/itli three moun- 
tains upon it. So Columbus 
named it La Trinidad, which 
means the Trinity, or three. 
They went on shore and 
found a clear brook where 
they filled their casks. 

Trinidad is near the mouth 
of the Orinoco River. This 
river brought down a vast body of water into the ocean 
and the current was strong there, and the waves big. One 
night, when Columbus was on deck, he heard a loud roar 
in the south. He looked, and saw a great wave coming high as 
the ship itself. It was rolling toward the ship with a noise like 
thunder. It was white with foam. He thought it w^ould roll over 
the ship and destroy it. But instead of that, the ship was lifted 
up upon it like a cork, and rode there in safety. But the crew 
were greatly terrified. 




HUGE WAVE AT THE MOUTH 1>E THE UKINUCU. 



COLUMBUS IX CHAINS. 




Columbus by tliis time had changed his 
mind about the shape of the earth. Instead 
of being round, he now thought it was shaped 
like a pear, one part of it being higher than 
the rest, and tapering up toward the sky. 
And he now thought he had come to that 
part of the earth which was higher than the 
rest. For the sky was very clear and blue 
here, and the air cool and sweet. The coast 
opposite to La Trinidad was a green and fruit- 
ful land ; the mornings and evenings were 
cool and fresh, and even at noon the sun 
was not very hot. 
Now, in this same latitude in Africa, he knew it was hot and 
dry, and the land was unfruitful. In Africa, too, the people 
were black, and coarse in manner. 

But here the natives were fair, fairer even than in Cuba. 
The}^ had long hair, and were graceful and bright. So this land, 
he thought, must be much higher than that in the same latitude 
in Africa. The great river Orinoco, too, carried its fresh waters 
far out into the ocean. It ran hard and fast, as though it ran 
down hill. Yes, he was sure now that he had come to that 
part of the earth that tapered up toward the sky. And that if 
he kept sailing on, by and by he would come to the top, and 



COLURIHls ilKiLCillT THE 

EAKTH WAS SHAPED l,IKE 

A PEAK. 




15C J^ 






THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 



there he would find the Garden of Eden, which we read about 
in the Bible ! For up near the stem of the pear, he thought 
the Garden of Eden was placed. 

We know he was mistaken but so he thought; and he wrote 
to the king and queen of Spain all about what he thought, 
and perhaps they thought so too. For many wise men of that 
day supposed the Garden of Eden was to be found on some 
part of the earth higher than the rest. 

After Columbus set sail upon his third voyage, his enemies 
were very busy in Spain. They tried to turn the king and 
queen against him. They said he made his discoveries only for 
his own profit ; that he 
treated those who went 
with him badly ; that he 
deceived the king and 
queen about the countries 
he had found ; they said 
everything that bad men 
can say about one whom 
they wish to injure. 

So finall}^ the king and 
queen sent Boabdilla out 
to see about thini»:s. If Boabdilla found that Columbus had done 
wrong, he was to send him home and be governor in his place. 

"But," they said to Boabdilla, "inquire very carefully, and do 
nothing hastily." 

But Boabdilla did not inquire at all. He at once ordered 
Columbus to be put in chains. Nobody would do it at first. 
Put chains upon Columbus, the great discoverer! The good, true, 
noble man ! But at last one of his own servants put the man- 




COLUMBUS KETUHNING TO SPAIN IN CHAINS. 



THE ADVENTURES OF COLUMBUS. 

acles on his wrists, and then he was sent home to Spain in chains. 

But when he arrived there, Queen IsabeUa was very angry ; 
and she ordered the chains to be taken off, and Cokirabus to be 
brouerht to her. 

When he entered her presence, worn with sorrow and age, 
mournful, but still carrying himself nobly, the good and tender- 
hearted queen burst into tears. 

Columbus again obtained leave to make another voyage to the 
New World. He sailed May 9, 1502. About three weeks after 
his return from that voyage Queen Isabella died. And by her 
death Columbus lost his best friend. 

He died at Valladolid, Spain, May 20, 1506, aged seventy 
years. 



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